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Strontium-rich injectable hybrid system for bone regeneration
Nuno Neves1, Bruno B Campos2, Isabel F Almeida3
1Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; INEB - Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; FMUP - Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Cirurgia, Serviço de Ortopedia, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
This study developed a novel injectable bone scaffold using strontium-rich microspheres within an alginate matrix. The hybrid system demonstrates promising mechanical properties and injectability for bone regeneration applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Materials Engineering
Background:
- Developing effective bone regeneration scaffolds faces challenges in mechanical strength and supporting cell infiltration.
- Strontium (Sr) shows potential in bone remodeling and treating osteopenic disorders and osteoporosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer and characterize a hybrid polymer-ceramic injectable system for bone regeneration.
- To incorporate strontium (Sr) into both the alginate matrix and ceramic microspheres for enhanced bone healing properties.
Main Methods:
- Prepared Sr-rich porous hydroxyapatite microspheres (555 μm diameter).
- Developed an injectable system using 3.5% sodium alginate crosslinked with calcium or Sr carbonate and Glucone-δ-lactone.
- Evaluated injectability using a vertebroplasty device and texture analyzer; analyzed microsphere distribution and mechanical properties via Micro CT and DMA.
Main Results:
- Compositions with 35% microspheres offered the best balance of injectability (extrusion force < 100 N) and compression strength.
- Micro CT confirmed homogeneous microsphere distribution (220 μm inter-microsphere spacing).
- Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) indicated elastic behavior dominated and the 3.5%Alg–35%Sr-HAp-Sr formulation had the highest storage modulus.
Conclusions:
- The developed hybrid polymer-ceramic injectable system shows potential as a scaffold for bone regeneration.
- The strontium incorporation and optimized microsphere content provide a promising combination of mechanical integrity and injectability.
